Vca Canada Calgary Animal Referral & Emergency Centre

Don't let that cute, little maple leaf on the sign fool you: V.C.A. is a large, American chain of vet hospitals owned by Mars Corporation. They're part of a huge money-making machine, and helping animals is incidental to profit-making, for them. Their vets are in large part new grads and interns who can't find work anywhere else. They admitted my cat, who was suffering from hepatic lipidosis, even though their Internal Medicine department was too busy to care for her properly. She waited for THREE FULL DAYS, all the time her condition deteriorating, while they kept telling me that "tomorrow" she'll be transferred to Internal Medicine. During this time, one of their interns made a critical mistake, with which I disagreed, but my opinion was completely disregarded. The vet walked out on me, while I was saying no, and the overnight vet deferred my call to a nurse who had no authority to do anything. The next day, my cat's condition had deteriorated to such an extent that she had to be transferred to Critical Care at another facility - unfortunately, another scummy V.C.A. clinic - and eventually died horribly. Hepatic lipidosis is a very serious condition that demands aggressive refeeding through a large-bore esophageal or PEG tube, in order for the cat to survive. At CARE (and their sister clinic, Western), my cat was fed through a tiny nasal tube for SIX days, just so they could get paid for six additional days' hospitalization. In order to give her the best chance of survival, they should have put in a larger-bore tube, immediately, and let me take her home, as soon as possible, but, no that wouldn't have made them as much profit, and their patients' lives are secondary to profit. So, of course, my cat died, and I'm left with a bill for $15,053.33, for the wonderful "care" she received from these charlatans. CARE could not be more ironically named; Mars, Incorporated cares only for profit, not animals' well-being. If you care about your pets, take them to U of C or an independent, locally owned and operated hospital. There are several, in Calgary. I recommend Fish Creek.

My neighbourhood vet recommended that we take our car here after finding that he had a fracture near his elbow. After having his X-rays sent over a member of the surgical staff told us that he had cancer in his elbow and that it would be $4000 to amputate his leg. When we asked if they would, simply, put a cast on his leg so it would heal, they told us that we were being inconsiderate of his pain. Our cat has been a member of our family for over 14 years and we've loved him the whole time. What's inconsiderate is to tell someone that they don't care about their pet because they aren't able to shell out four grand for a, potentially, unnecessary surgery. After talking with several of their staff it's clear that their priority isn't care, its cash. Don't take your pet here.

We are so thankful for this Emergency Vet Clinic they are so lovely and kind. We have brought our own puppy here for an emergency visit and most recently we brought in a lost puppy. The staff were so kind and patient with the little guy we brought in and happy ending they helped him get reunited with his family!

I am not typically the type to share my personal experiences publicly but I feel as though anyone who has the chance to read reviews on a facility for the treatment of their animals should read this. I was referred here from my neighbourhood vet as my dog was in need of urgent care due to her Pyometra diagnosis which is a disease found in non spayed dogs. We were already pretty certain of this diagnosis as our neighbourhood vet said it was evident from the fast scan but she wanted a radiologist to double check to be completely sure. When we arrived our dog was clearly the worse off there at the time, not being able to lift her head and would collapse when walking. The reception was fast and we got our puppy in quickly which was nice but as we entered the private room we immediately noticed the walls were stripped to just drywall and there were construction workers causing alot of disturbance and laughing as my brother and I were trying to converse with both the doctor and our mom on the phone, this too made our dog nervous and it was not comforting for us to feel as though we were in an institution when we were already in a stressful state. I understand construction needs to happen during work hours but we didn't receive any acknowledgement towards this matter either. Skip forward to our estimate which was quoted at nearly $5,000 for surgery and IV fluids, medication etc. I was shocked at the price but obviously wanting to do anything for my puppy, it was then I remembered my neighbourhood vet tell me Fish Creek may definitely be a more cost effective and well functioning hospital so I called them and within 2 minutes the receptionist got a quote for us from the doctor saying $2,000-2,700. This was a massive difference and to make sure our puppy still received quality treatment I did research on the hospital and found many very happy and successful clients of Fish Creek. After telling the vet and her aid this they seemed to be okay with it (even though the vet told me the price probably wouldn't be very far off anyways). When I checked our puppy out I had to pay $95 just to be told the same thing my neighbourhood vet told me and I had paid for. When arriving at the other hospital I noticed the staff were so much more comforting and supportive, I know it may sometimes get tiresome for them to work in an environment like urgent care but they still made us feel important and well taken care of. We have since received many updates on our pup's successful surgery and she will be returning home to us very soon.

I have been to the CARE centre now twice. Both times I have been very pleased with the service I have received there. The vets and the techs are very compassionate and also very matter of fact. They don't use 'big' words and they make sure you understand what you are being told. I will continue to go there when the need arises

Very knowledgeable neurologist. Nice staff. Friendly group.

Overall I found my experience to be great with CARE centre. The staff including admins, nurses and doctors were exceptionally courteous and professional . I understand this is an emergency centre and each case is treated as per its severity, I just wish the wait time was little less for us. We had to wait 4 hours before Jimmy was admitted and that also we did have to push with the reception. By then Jimmy couldn't raise his head and was almost 24 hours without food and water.
Two things which really bothered me were :
1) The vet said she wants to do an Ultrasound to check if any foreign body was stuck in Jimmy's abdomen and once done , she said she can only be 90% sure that a foreign body was stuck and wanted to go ahead with surgery . The reason we agreed to do the expensive ultra sound option because we were told that's more conclusive than an Xray . So seeing our hesitation , she advised that they can do another abdominal X-ray just to be more sure . Our test cost before surgery was $1100 . I wish the vet could have been more confident and conclusive and we could have avoided the extra X-ray cost.
2) Also we were told the surgeon will charge us "after-hours" rate since the surgery will be done Friday midnight and we are already in the wekeend zone. As per my understanding CARE is an emergency centre and emergency doesn't happen with "time, day , night or weekend" in mind . So to me "after-hours" charge was not justifiable. We are lucky that we are in a position where we have the means to pay for the high bill but there are lots of people out there who don't . I sincerely hope you can change your policy regarding "after-hours" charge.

We had to take our little dog there as she was having seizures. Unfortunately, it was a brain tumor and she had to be euthanized. The care and attention the staff gave us during this troubling time was very kind and gentle. Thank you Dr Jennifer Richards and staff for your kindness and professionalism.

When my vet recommended the Care center, I was a little iffy because it is a referral and emergency center i knew it was gonna be pricey. But i love my little guy. So off i went as an emergency, as I walk in, it looks like an actual functioning hospital. I was greeted by Riley at reception. Pleasant and calm mannered. Then up came a nurse, I believe her name was Victoria. She was also super great. Easy to chat to and quickly checked out my pet. I was then taken into a room where I met this amazing vet Dr Oatalar? (sorry if i am not spelling it right) He was so communicative and thorough and gave me a couple different options for treatment with a quote for all options, and when my little guy was getting discharged, Jessica was amazing and thorough. I had many questions and she answered them all! Overall had the best experience at the Care Center. I felt my pet was well looked after, and I didn't feel like anyone talked down to me or made me feel unwelcome. I had many questions as I am just a DJ and had no idea what was happening. Will be going back, and recommending their care to everyone.

I've seen specialists here and have had emergencies where I've had to take my dogs here. Everyone working here is so kind, patient and gentle. Very informative when they go over diagnoses and treatments. Very happy to be referred here. Thank you!!

Due to some bad luck and unfortunate circumstances over a four year period, our eleven year old golden retriever (Jake) had to undergo four knee surgeries (two cruciate repairs and two meniscal repairs), the most recent two taking place over the last few months. Dr. Neil Connery performed all the surgeries and I would highly recommend him to anyone. Apart from his exceptional skill level, Dr. Connery showed the utmost kindness and compassion to Jake and I, particularly with our recent concerns about operating on an eleven year old dog. Dr. Connery was extremely attentive and accommodating and answered all my calls personally, which I greatly appreciated. His assistants and front desk staff were also courteous and kind and I found the prices to be reasonable.

We were referred to CARE Animal Hospital by our regular vet clinic when our poor boy Diesel got clawed in the eye by the cat. Our regular vet wasn't comfortable giving a diagnosis as they didn't have the appropriate equipment. They called CARE and managed to get us an appointment the very same day.

Brought Diesel in at 3:30 the same day, saw Dr. Brian shortly after arriving and thankfully, the claw went cleanly into the cornea and back out again. $400, a few tests later and a few treats and Diesel has all the drops he needs to clear up any issues he may have and received a clean bill of health.

The staff were amazing, Dr. Brian was awesome. He explained exactly what happened, showing me the damages and answered any and all questions I had. The other clients in the waiting room also spoke very highly of him.

I'd highly recommend any one of the vets at this clinic. Although a busy place, they get you in on time and will answer any questions you have and not make you feel rushed. Great place.

The staff are amazing and wonderful. They take amazing care of your fur babies. They treat all clients(people and animalsl) with respect. The staff is hands on and answers any questions you may have. They also submit claims directly to the insurance company for you. It doctors and techs all are so kind and caring with your pets!!! Amazing place for your animals to be cared for.